loosing weight on hydrocortisone

I'm having a similar problem!! I am on 35 mg of hydrocortisone for Congenital Adrenal hyperplasia and I just keep gaining weight. I try to eat healthily, work out, and all of a sudden i just keep gaining. This is horrible and I don't know what to do.

Hi

I think the reason you guys are gaining weight is because you are on too much hydrocortisone. Too much steriods can cause weight gain, and many other problems like high blood sugar, increase blood pressure, etc..

I have no adrenal glands at all, and only take around 20 mgs of cortef a day, so you may need even less if you still have some adrenal function. Sometimes I take 2 1/2 to 5 mg more if I feel I need it.

I had a bilateral adrenalectomy to cure cushings disease after a failed pituitary surgery to remove an ACTH producing pituitary tumor. I'm also taking other meds like growth hormone, recently started taking levoxyl (for central hypothyroidism etc..), and sometimes need to take an extra dose of cortef, because of these other meds. You should always have extra cortef with you, and also increase your dose for certail illnesses, surgery, severe stress, fever, etc.. Also you may need florenif.

If you take too much hydrocortisone then you can get chemical induced cushings disease


look at the site:

cushings-help.com.

another helpful site.
addisons.org.uk/info/i_index1.html

I was put on high dose Hydrocortisone after i had a pituitary adnoma rupture last year. I was taking 60-80mg daily i gained about 70lbs in a month! I finally got down 20mg daily and am very slowly losing the weight. I have yet to find a way to lose the weight faster. But if the dosage is to high the weight-gain is a sign of that. Best advice i can give is try to stay active and eat right. You have to keep in mind that while your one the hydrocortisone your body will act differently than previously so maybe a diet that worked before wont work for your body now. Try new things:)

i was diognosed with addisons disease and graves disease 21 months ago....i struggled terribly with weight gain. i gained a massive 4 stone. it was terrible..... i tried diet after diet but the dreaded weight kept on growing. BUT for some reason after 21 months the weight has started to drop of me. i do 30 mins a day arerobics on my wi fit every day i eat nothing unless it is NO or VERY LOW FAT. i have stopped eating bread which was a killer for me regarding weight gain, also margarine....i eat plenty of chicking and fish fruit veg, ect. i have lost 14lb in my first month. feeling GREATTTTTTTTTTTT. basicly i have stopped being lazy....i TRUELY WISH YOU ALL THE BEST IN YOUR WEIGHT LOSS i cannot express how happy i feel, knowing i have finally reached a plato has given me my confidence back. it is an uphill struggle...but i can see now there is light at the end of the tunnel.... :-D

I have been taking Cortef since July and have gained over 10 pounds.  I work out, eat right and continue to gain weight.  When I stop taking the meds I get sick.

 

I think that this is very well put, and I agree almost completely, however the exception being various highs and lows in multiple hormones per individual, for example, some people have normal acth but low cortisol, or any number of combinations....

It's like listing pregnancy symptoms, we are all going to handle it differently. My acth is too low, my cortisol production is low, but had high prolactin, and missing one adrenal from pheochromocytoma, down from 20 mg of hydrocortisone to 10mg but still stuck with extra weight.

I ate low calorie paleo all summer and started working out, my old body would have lost about 15-20 lbs as well as I did, yup, I lost 2 lbs! It is an uphill battle for most of us, and stopping to cheat (as I've seen on too many occasions) isn't as easy to make up for given our circumstances.. UGH, some of these posts are 4 years old and still there is no magic answer.

 

Someone else will Google this some time, and to you, I wish you luck, weight loss may not be possible right now, but cheating on diet especially when you cannot or will not exercise is going to be a HUGE pitfall, don't do it! *Up 30 lbs from month before surgery a year ago now, and trying to lose it. Best of luck!

I had the same issue, but through hours of research have found a way to lose. First and most important...cut out salt and sugar. When you are taking this medication they are the enemy! Second I have found the following foods in abundance help: Tomatoes, Broccoli, Soy, Salmon, Turkey, Beans, Garlic, and Green Tea(without sugar). You can use Honey or even better Agave Nectar to sweeten if you need to. I also have had to increase exercise. Lifting weights helps, but aerobic exercise is best. Good luck! Rene

@Rene : Hi, Thanks for sharing the information. I think cutting down the sugar is easy for me but not the salt. Did you mean by not adding a salt in food even a little? Could you please also suggest what exercises I should do to cut down my belly fat and for how long in a day? what kind of weight lifting? You mean with dumbbells? & for how long?
& for how long I should do aerobics exercise? Have you reduced belly fat with it?
I was size 28 and now size 36 and feels pathetic. gained 8 inches. I feel so frustrated.

Right Now, I do approx 20 minutes Walk and follow with 30 minutes Exercises (which includes: bicycle, side bridges, russian twists, oblique side crunches etc) I have been doing this from a month now, I also missed few days. I found that I am bit shrinked. Not much difference though, but feeling that I have reduced a little. I think I need to know the proper diet and exercise to reduce the belly fat. Please suggest if you have reduced!
Thanks heaps! - Reet

Hi All: I'm going through a same problem. I am taking a medicine of HYDRO-CORTISONE, as my doc has told me that I have this missing hormone in me "Cortisol" I take 10mg after bfast, 5mg after lunch, 5mg after dinner. & this has made me blow out. I have gained lot of weight around my abdomen, in my back (love handles), around my back neck and bit of double chin. basically gained weight in my upper body. My lower body is still the same as before : Thin. When I stop taking medicine, I go back to my original skinny body, which I feel great about. But My doctor has described me how important it is for my body. Yes, I have realized that I am much stronger now, more strength in my bones. & I have to take this medicine for the rest of my life. If thats the case, then what about the weight gain. I cant live carrying this weight for the rest of my life. So I'm looking for a solution too. Right Now, I do approx 20 minutes Walk and follow with 30 minutes Exercises (which includes: bicycle, side bridges, russian twists, oblique side crunches etc) I have been doing this from a month now, I missed few days. I found that I am bit shrinked. Not much difference though, but feeling that I have reduced a little. I think I need to know the proper diet and exercise to reduce the belly fat. I did a bit of research & trying to reduce with exercise, walk and diet. I Hope I will reduce. I will definitely share with all of you if i will reduce. Trying my best! Please do share some tips (some dos and donts) Like what exercises I should be doing and for how long each day? & what diet I should follow: what to eat and what not to eat? During my research, I also found that if you do lot of exercise, adrenal glands consider it as a STRESS and release cortisol which stores fat around the abdomen. But I'm nt sure if that belongs to our case or not, as we are under the medication. Or this belongs to those only who have high levels of cortisol hormone in their body. Dont really know if this belongs to us or not! Please! Please! share your tips & tricks if you have lost weight! It will be a great help! I'm really frustrated right now. I know this is life long, so I have to find a solution to reduce weight getting back to my old shape with the medications. Thanks heaps!! :) Reet

Let me save you some time: skip the fad diets. You can safely lose 3 or more pounds a week at home with a healthy diet and lots of exercise.

Jacobedward02, 3 or more pounds a week at home with a healthy diet and lots of exercise?  What could be anymore healthier than Weight Watchers?  I have gained 25 lbs since my surgery in January of this year on 35 mg of hydrocortisone, now reduced to 15 mg of hydrocortisone.  I have lost nothing but continue to gain.  I am a leader for WW and know exactly what to do to get rid of weight ~ NEVER BEFORE WAS IT A PROBLEM TILL NOW.  So save me some time and tell me REALLY how to get rid of weight!!.  Sorry if I sound upset but you made a statement and didn't qualify it with any information.  People who have gained weight on this drug and are asking for help need answers not a statement.

I just finished hydrocortisone pills, 30 mg/day for 70 days and gained 50 lbs. I had a brain tumor removed in July and had to be on them. I've lost 4 lbs slowly on a juice cleanse So far. I did find a website about magnolia bark that Chinese medicine promotes. I am going to ask me acupuncturist on Monday. But it apparently blocks cortisone and help lose weight, especially with hydrocortisone being the reason for the weight gain. I don't know if that 's such a good idea if you need cortisone replaced by the pills but if your dr approves of it, it may be worth trying. If you are on steroids for a different reason, it may help. I have not tried it, I don't know how they work or side effects. I want to get approval first so I don't cause brain complications. But it won't hurt asking. They are also supposed to decrease anxiety and stress, which I'm sure you are stressed out due to the weight gain. I know for me I was tired, short of breath, slow paced, loosing my hair, low energy, low self esteem, had to buy larger clothes, etc.

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Hope this helps.

How can you have the energy to exercise with Addisons disease? Im primary and struggle with just getting out of bed.easy to say exercise if your normal.

You must not cut out salt if you have no adrenal glands! You must have a higher salt content in your diet due to not being able to make fludrocortisone. It is essential you have a good salt intake.